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Xjince upon a time there lived an old
couple who had seen better days. Formerly
they had been well to do, but misfortune
came upon them, through no fault of their
own, and in their old age they had become
so poor that they were only just able to
earn their daily bread.
One joy however remained to them, This

was their only child, a good and gentle
maiden, of such wonderful beauty, that, in
all that land bhe had no equal.

At length the father fell sick and died,
and the mother and her daughter had to
work harder than ever. Soon the mother
felt her strength failing her, and great was
her sorrow at the thought of leaving her
child aluno in the world.

The beauty of the maiden

was so Jhdl^^l^^ dazzling

that it be-
came the
cause

of much

thongbt and anxiety to the dying mother,

She knew that in one so pow and friend-
less as her child, it would be likely to
prove a .misfortune instead of a blessing,

Feeling her end to be very near, the
mother called the maiden to her bedside,
and, with many words of love and warning,
entreated her to continue pure, and good,
and true, as she had ever been, She told
her that her beauty was a perilous gift
which might become her ruin, and com-
manded her to hide it, as much as possible,
from the sight of all men,

That she might do this the better,
ff^fc the mother placed

on her daughter's head
a lacquered

wooden bowl, which she earned

her on no account to take off. The bow]
overshadowed the maiden's face, so that it
was impossible to tell how much beauty was
hidden beneath it,

'

' ' | ^r.-r. . .^...r: : (

After her mother's death, the poor child

was indeed forlorn; but she had a brave

heart, and at once

set about

earning her living

by bard work in the fields.

As she was nevei seen without

W. }to> * *

the wooden bowl, which indeed appeared a
very funny head-dress, sbe soon begaa to
be talked about, and was known in all
the country round as the Maid with the
Bowl on her Head.

Proud and bad j>eople scorned and lathed
at her, and the

idle young

L

naen of the village made fun of her, trying
to peep under the bowl, and even to pull it
o# her head. But it seemed firmly fixed,
and none of them succeeded in taking it
off, or in getting more than a glimpse of
the beautiful face beneath.

The poor girl bore all this rude usage
patiently, was always diligent at her work,
and when evening came, crept quietly to her
lonely home. Now. one day, when she was at
work in the harvest field of a rich fanner,
who owned most of the land in that part,
the master himself drew near. He was
struck by the gentle and modest behaviour
*f the young girl, and by her quickness and
diligence at her work.

Ha. vim- watched her all that day, hft was
so much pleased with her, thai he kept her

in work until the end of
harvest. After that, winter
having now come on, he
took her into his own house
to wait upon his wife, who
had long been sick,
and seldom left
her bed.

Now the poor orphan
,fyJL^ - fl had a happy home once
more, for both the farmer

and his wife were very kind
to her. As they had no daughter
of their own, she became more like the

child of the house than a hired servant
And indeed, no child could have made a
gentler or more tender nurse to a sick
mother, than did this little inaid to her
mistress.

After some time the master's eldest son
came home on a visit to his father and
mother. He had been living in Kioto, the
rich and gay city of the Mikado, where he
had studied and learned much. Wearied
with feasting and pleasure, he was glad
to come back for a little while to the

quie( hi'-me of his childhood. But week
after week passed, and, to the surprise of
his Mends, he showed no desire to return
to the more stirring life of the town.

The truth is, that no sooner had he Bet
eyes on the Maid with the Bowl on her Head,
than he was filled with curiosity to know
all ahout her. He linked who and what she
was. and why *he was always seen with
such a curious and unbecoming-

head-dress.

Fe was touched by her sad story, but
could not help laughing at her old fancy of
wearing the bowl on her head. But, as he
saw day by day, her goodness and gentle
manners, he laughed no more. And, one
day, having managed
to take a sly peep

=t%
A-

under the

bowl, he saw

enough uf her beauty to make him

fall deeply in tove with her.

From that moment he vowed that none

i other than the Maid with the Bowl should

be his wife. His relations,

however, -4. v — r would not
hear of

_!

match.
"No doubt
- girl was all very well in her way,"

a

•

they

said, =7$ "but after all,

she was only a
servant, and no fit

mate for the son of
the honse.

They had always said she was being made
too much of, and would one day or another
turn against her benefactors. Now their
words were coming true, and besides, why
did she persist in wearing that rediculous
thing on her head? Doubtless to get a re-
putation for beauty, which most likely she
did not possess. Indeed, they were almost
certain that she was quite plain looking."
The two old maiden aunts of tbe young
man were especially bitter, and never lost
an opportunity of repeating the hard and

unkind thinjr* which were *aid about the
poor orphan. Her mistress even, who h»d
been so good to her, now seemed to turn
against her, and she had no friend left
except her master, who would really have
"been pleased to welcome her as his daughter,
but did not dare to say as muck Ihe
young man however, remained firm to his
purpose. As for all the stories which they
brought him, he gave his aunts to under-
stand that he considered them little better
than a pack of illnatnred inventions.

At last seeing him so steadfast in bis
determination, and that their opposition only
made him the more obstinate, they were
fain to give in, though with a bad grace.

A difficulty now arose where it was least
to have been expected. The poor little

Maiil with the Bowl on her Head upset all
their calculations, by gratefully but firmly
refusing the hand of her master's son, and
no persuasion on his part could induce her
to change her mind.

Great was the astonishment and anger of
the relations. That they should be made
fools of in this way was beyond all bearing.
TTImt did the ungrateful ynnrg minx expect,
that her Master's son wasn't good enough for
her? Little did they know her true and
loyal heart. She loved him clearly, but she
would not bring discord and strife into the
home which had sheltered her in her poverty ;
for she had marked the cold looks of her
mistress, and very well understood what they
meant. Rather than bring trouble into that
happy home she would leave it at once, and

for ever. She told no one, and shed many
bitter tears in secre^ yet she remained true
to her purpose.

Then, that night when &he had cried
herself to sleep, her mother appeared to her
in a dream, and told her that she might,
without scruple, yield to the prayers of her
lover, and to the wishes of her own heart.
She woke up full of joy, and, when the young
man once more entreated her, she answered
yes, with all her heart, " We told you so,"
said the mother and the aunts, bat the young
man was too happy to mind them. So the
wedding day was fixed, and the

grandest

preparations
were made for the

feast — Some

unpleasant remarks were doubtless to be
heard about the beggar maid and her wooden
bowl, but the young man took no notice of
them, and only congratulated himself upon
Ms good fortune Now, when the wedding
day had at last come, and all the company
were assembled, and ready to assist at the
ceremony, it seemed high time that the bowl
should be removed from the head of the
bride. She tried to take it off, but found, to
her dismay, that it stuck fast, nor could her
utmost efforts even succeed in moving it:
and, when some of the relations persisted in
trying to pull off the bowl, it uttered loud
cries and groans as of pain.

The bridegroom comforted and consoled
the maiden, and insisted that they should
go on with the ceremony without more ado.

And now came the moment when the wiae
cups were brought in, and the bride and
bridegroom must drink together the " three
times three", in token that they were now
become man and wife. Hardly had the biide
put her lips to the Sake, cup, when the
wooden bowl burst
M'ith a loud ^^^

noise, ™

and

m

---4' ^

-

fell in a thousand pieces upon the floor.
And, with the bowl, fell a shower of precious
stones, pearls, and diamonds, rubies and
emeralds, which had been hidden beneath
it, besides gold and silver in abundance,
which now became the marriage portion
of the maiden.

Bat what astonished the wedding guests
more even than this vast treasure, was the
wonderful beauty of the bride, made fully
known for the first time to her husband
and to all the world,

Never was there each a merry wedding,
such a proud and happy bridegroom, or
guch a lovely bride.

/V'Yn t

* 46
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